How to Rock Your MBA Internship Alex Al UNC Kenan-Flagler April 18 th, 2016

Transcription

1 HOW TO ROCK YOUR MBA INTERNSHIP How to Rock Your MBA Internship Alex Al UNC Kenan-Flagler April 18 th, 2016

2 WELCOME

3 Today s objectives 1. 1 GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF THE ENVIRONEMTNAL FACTORS SURROUNDING YOUR INTERNSHIP 2. 2 DISCUSS THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT COME WITH YOUR INTERNSHIP 3. 3 SHARE LESSONS LEARNED FROM OTHERS WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH THE EXPERIENCE 4. 4 PROVIDE ACTION-ORIENTED STEPS TO DRIVE SUCCESS IN YOUR SUMMER INTERNSHIP

4 My Story

5 MY JOURNEY ROCHESTER, NY SALESFORCE DELOITTE CONSULTING BOSTON COLLEGE UNC CHAPEL HILL

6 Some context on your internship SHORT TIME PERIOD UNCERTAINTY LACK OF KNOWLEDGE COMPANY EXPECTATIONS

7 HIT THE GROUND RUNNING Read and prepare as much as you can before you start

8 SET EXPECTATIONS IMMEDIATELY Develop a set of questions you would ask to understand the expectations from your manager

9 DEFINE SUCCESS FOR YOU Define and set your goals and objectives for your internship

10 ADD VALUE IMMEDIATELY Think of key actions, responsibilities, or tasks your team might need, and be ready to do them

11 GET THE COFFEE Do it

12 KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS Do a self-assessment before you start your internship

13 PAY TO PLAY VS. UNIQUE SKILLS Speak to other previous interns about what skills are important and valued

14 LEARN WHAT THE CULTURE VALUES Speak to other interns about the culture. Start asking around for names of people who are successful at the company

15 NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK Set networking goals, and put action oriented steps to achieve them

16 FIND MENTORS AND SPONSORS Understand the difference between the two, and strategize how to find them

17 WHEN BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS, PUT OTHERS FIRST Write down ways you can help other people, develop goals for doing it during the summer

18 GET YOUR OWN FEEDBACK Develop a list of people you can reach out to for feedback on your work

19 KEEP TRACK OF WHAT YOU DO AND WHAT YOU LEARN Develop a learning book to catalogue your lessons and key takeaways

20 OWN YOUR LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT Brainstorm ways in which you can learn and develop throughout the summer

21 SHARE KNOWLEDGE Create a post-mortem that you can share with others

22 What Skills Did You Rely On Most? Consulting Marketing Presentation Building Excel and Data Analysis Presentation Building Excel and Data Analysis Relationship Building Verbal & Written Communications Organization Expertise Verbal & Written Communications General Management Finance Presentation Building Organization Expertise Excel & Modeling Proofreading Relationship Building Verbal & Written Communications Presentation Building Research

23 What Surprised You? It went fast. The summer flew by and was a bit of a whirlwind. It can be easy to get caught up in the sprint of the short 10- week internship and forget to actually think about the experience and just go with the flow. It s not so much what you are proposing or finding, but the way in which you do it. My findings were not that earth shattering, but it meant delivering the message that a particular person s product was underperforming. Determining the product was underperforming was easy, delivering the message in front of him was really hard! Going in, I was a little skeptical about how much they would trust an intern with, but I ended up having an opportunity to develop their strategy for a major part of my organization's business. This made me uncomfortable, but was also the source of a lot of learning about myself and the business I was trying out. Some people think that to have a successful internship and get a job offer, they just need to put their head down and work harder than the guy next to them. The truth is, to get a job offer you need to have advocates within the company and you need to have built meaningful relationships. How much relationships mattered. I knew they were important, but didn t realize that the decision to give me an offer really hinged on how many people supported me. Navigating the corporate culture was one of the biggest surprises. By the time I really learned the culture of the company, I was halfway through my internship. Being new at the company and now knowing who to ask and even who I COULD was a challenge. You have to be the master of your own destiny. If you re struggling, you need to put your hand up. If you re interested in a project or subject, you need to tell everyone who will listen. Staffing, networking, personal connections, and your entire professional development come down to your ability to be proactive and manage your own career.

24 What Did You Do Well? I set my own goals and did a good job of tracking them. I also made sure that my team knew what my goals were, and as such, they were more than willing to help me achieve them. I didn't take the internship or the offer for granted; I was very clear from day 1 that I wanted to contribute during the summer and earn a full-time offer. Getting the internship is not the end of the road, it's just the first step. I did my very best to build a strong reputation and to do so quickly. It started on day 1 from volunteering right away to do some pretty menial tasks, but people noticed and appreciated it. I think they much more willing to help/support me after I had built some respect. To get people up to speed quickly, I developed a one-page "road map" of the project that I included in every meeting request and slide deck. The "road map" evolved with the project, and it allowed me to talk about one specific aspect (e.g. internal communications) while also referencing interaction with other elements (e.g. legal concerns). My manager had a bottle of scotch he pulled out for impromptu happy hours. I pushed myself to stick around and learn more about my teammates personally and professionally. This and other efforts at relationship building came in handy down the line, when I needed help discussing particularly difficult problems or getting an introduction to people who could help me. Built authentic relationships and cultivated them. I am not at the company but still stay in touch with my team, manager, and recruiter. I even referred a few friends who now work there and actually am working with my former company and manager on a project right now. Set expectations. The very first day, I asked what the evaluation process was like, and found out there was no formal one, so I proposed one I thought was fair and my manager checked with HR and agreed to it.

25 What Could You Have Done Better? I should have been more clear about my goals for the summer at the start of my internship. You might or might not be able to influence the assignments you get or the exposure you'd like, but you won't know unless you ask. I wish I had built more relationships. As trite as it sounds, it is about who you know, and if the people who make decisions know and like you, then it opens up your opportunities. I wish I had been more creative in developing data to support my conclusions. In hindsight, I relied on what my managers expected me to do, rather than brainstorming new solutions and new ways to analyze data. I wish I had taken ownership of what I wanted to learn. I was kind of expecting that the company would facilitate that because that s what I heard in the recruiting process. At first I thought it was because they didn t like me, but in reality, they were waiting for me to tell them what I wanted. Once I took the initiative to do that, they were very happy to help. I wish I had spent more time reflecting and thinking about the experience during the internship. I think it would have helped me process what I was doing and learning and given me a better picture of the experience. I wish I had taken more initiative and ownership earlier on in the process. Managers are busy, and while mine was supportive, they expect you to really drive your own work. I figured it out, but wish I did earlier in the summer. I wish I did a bit more networking around the company because I realized how small a piece of the company I actually saw as an intern there. I had some meetings with other teams, but not enough to get a good view of the different teams and cultures available to work within. I got a big project, and I wish I had worked harder to focus the problem statement into more manageable chunks. In the end, I felt like I attempted to boil the ocean and did not really answer any of the questions with the depth they deserved. I should have prioritized based on my hypotheses about potential value.

26 Keys to Success Key to Success Action To Take 1 Hit The Ground Running Read and prepare as much as you can before you start 2 Define Expectations Immediately Develop a set of questions you would ask to understand the expectations from your manager 3 Define Success For You Define and set your goals and objectives for your internship 4 Add Value Immediately Think of key actions, responsibilities, or tasks your team might need, and be ready to do them 5 Get The Coffee Do it 6 Know Your Strengths Do a self-assessment before you start your internship 7 Pay to Play vs. Unique Skills Speak to other previous interns about what skills are important and valued 8 Learn What The Culture Values Speak to other interns about the culture. Start asking around for names of people who are successful at the company 9 Network, Network, Network Set networking goals, and put action oriented steps to achieve them 10 Find Mentors and Sponsors Understand the difference between the two, and strategize how to find them 11 When Building Relationships, Put Others First Write down ways you can help other people, develop goals for doing it during the summer 12 Get Your Own Feedback Develop a list of people you can reach out to for feedback on your work 13 Keep Track Of What You Do And What You Learn Develop a learning book to catalogue your lessons and key takeaways 14 Own Our Learning And Development Brainstorm ways in which you can learn and develop throughout the summer 15 Share Knowledge Create a post-mortem that you can share with others

27 10 things to do this summer 1. GET THE COFFEE 2. SHARE KNOWLEDGE 3. MAKE SOMEONE S JOB EASIER 4. ADD SOMETHING THAT HASN T BEEN DONE 5. CONNECT TO THE OTHER INTERNS 6. HELP THE RECRUITER 7. KNOW YOUR TEAMMATES 8. ORGANIZE A TEAM EVENT 9. FIND YOUR ALLIES 10. DO THE JOB NOBODY WANTS

28 Let s Stay in Touch Alex (Al) Dea UNC Kenan-Flagler, 15 Alex.Dea@gmail.com Want a copy of my presentation? Leave your and I will send you one

29 Thank you.